Form for vaulted concrete ceilings having ribs

ABSTRACT

A form for a vaulted concrete ceiling having ribs comprises a top wall having transverse ribs, inclined side walls and an end wall. At one end of the form there is a rib-free portion in which the top wall and side walls are offset outwardly or inwardly by an amount equal to the thickness of the material. Two or more such forms are assembled in longitudinal relation with the offset end portion of one form overlapping to a greater or lesser extent the non-offset end of an adjacent form. The total length of the assembled form can be adjusted by the amount of overlap. Overlapping portions of flanges at the lower edges of the side walls are preferably provided with interengaging surfaces which resist longitudinal movement of the forms relative to one another, when they have been assembled and adjusted, to provide a form of the desired total length. The forms are also provided with longitudinally extending internal steps to facilitate stacking the forms for storage or shipping.

United States Patent Basalla Mar. 14, 1972 [54] FORM FOR VAULTED CONCRETE 3,294,358 12/1966 Hagedorn ..249/ 175 CEILINGS HAVING RIBS 3,463,441 8/ 1969 Basalla et al.... ..249/28 1,106,665 8/1914 Meyer ....249/32 X Inventor: Basalla, Am Wacholderberg 23, Ericsson 6241 Mammdsham 2,180,964 11/1939 Rogow ..249/31 [22] Filed: Dec. 8, 1969 Primary Examiner-J. Howard Flint, Jr. [21] Appl' 878983 AttorneyRobert E. Burns and Emmanuel J. Lobato RltedU.S.A 1i t' Dta e a pp ca 8 I 57 ABSTRACT [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 626,588, Mar. 28, 1967, I

abandoned A form for a vaulted concrete ceiling having rlbs comprises a top wall havmg transverse ribs, mclmed side walls and an end [30] Foreign Application Priority Data wall. At one end of theform there is a rib-free portion in which the top wall and side walls are offset outwardly or 1n- Mai. 29, Gel many nB wardly an mount equal to the thickness of the malarial 17, 1967 Germany 69390 Two or more such forms are assembled in longitudinal relation Jan. 17, 1967 Germany ..B 69391 with the offset end portion of one form overlapping to a greater or lesser extent the non-offset end of an adjacent form. [52] US. Cl. ..249/ 176, 249/ 186 The total length of the assembled form can be adjusted by the [51] E043 11/40 B281 7/ 28 amount of overlap. Overlapping portions of flanges at the o i s q e a u terengaging surfaces which resist longitudinal movement of [56] References cued the forms relative to one another, when they have been assem- UNITED STATES PATENTS bled and adjusted, to provide a form of the desired total length. The forms are also provided with longitudinally ex- 967,836 8/ 1910 Rodham ..249/47 tending internal Steps to f ili stacking the forms f 1,262,686 4/ 1918 Meyer .25/ 131.5 C UX Storage or Shipping, 1,665,542 4/1928 Haldeman. ..249/l75 3,004,321 10/1961 Pulliam ..25/131 P X 7 Claims, 15 Drawing Figures PATENTEUMAR 14 I972 13, 648 966 sum 1 OF 3 FORM FOR VAULTED CONCRETE CEILINGS HAVING RIBS This application is a continuation of my application Ser. No. 626,588 filed Mar. 28, 1967 and now abandoned.

The invention relates to. forms for vaulted concrete ceilings having transverse ribs and particularly to forms composed of a plurality of sections which are assembled to provide a continuous form.

Concrete forms of this kind are disclosed in our copending application, Ser. No. 610,953 filed Jan. 23, 1967, now Pat. No. 3,463,441. It is an object of the present invention to provide improved forms affording greater adjustability. In accordance with the invention, form sections can be cut at the factory into a small number of standard sizes which can be assembled at the building site to provide forms of practically any overall length. This is accomplished without waste.

A further object of the invention is to provide on the forms with means for preventing undesired movement of the forms relative to one another when they have been assembled. The effectiveness of such means is not affected by cutting the forms into sections.

Finally it is an object of the invention to provide means for stacking the forms, for example for storage or transportation, even when the forms have been cut into sections.

In accordance with the invention there isprovided a ribbed form which at one end has a rib-free section which is offset outwardly or inwardly by the thickness of the material from which the form is made. At least one end of the form is provided with a closure wall.

To prevent relative movement of whole forms or sections that have been assembled, the sections are provided with laterally projecting flanges having offset portions in the zone of overlap and the interengaging portions of the flanges are provided with at least partially complementary profiles, for example transverse serrations.

Preferably, sloping side walls of the forms are provided on their inner faces with longitudinally extending steps which in the zone of overlap of adjacent sections are offset by an amount equal to the offset of the horizontal wall of the form. This provides possibility of stacking the forms, for example for storage or shipping. The capability of being stacked is not lost when the forms are cut perpendicular to their longitudinal axis into sections since the resulting sections can be stacked in like manner.

The invention will be more fully understood from the following description of preferred embodiments shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1, is a perspective view of a concrete ceiling form in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section through a form in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 3, is a longitudinal section of another embodiment;

FIG. 4, is a longitudinal section through two form bodies in assembled relationship;

FIG. 5a to 5f are schematic views illustratinghow forms and sections of forms can be assembled to provide different overall lengths.

FIG. 6, is a side view of the form illustrated in FIG. 1 with dimensions indicating how the form can be cut to obtain different lengths;

FIG. 7, is a cross-section taken on line 7-7 in FIG. 6; and

FIGS. 8a to 80 are fragmentary views illustrating how flange portions of adjacent sections are provided with interfitting surfaces to prevent relative movement of the forms after assembly.

The form shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 consist of plywood bonded and stiffened with plastic and molded into arch form. The arch top or deck 2 or the form is generally flat-while the sides 3 of the arch are inclined. In the deck or top wall 2 there are formed transverse stiffening ribs 4 which extend down into the side walls, as indicated at 4a, and taper downwardly, as seen in FIG. 1. At one end, the form has a portion 5 which is free from ribs and in which the deck 2 and side walls 3 are offset outwardly by an amount S equal to the thickness of the material from which the form is made, so that the offset end portion of one form will nest over a mating non-offset end portion of an adjacent form. The end of smaller cross-section i.e., in the present case the end which is not offset, is provided with an end closure wall 6 which extends downwardly beyond the side edges of the form by a selected distance D. At their lower edges, the side walls 6 are provided with laterally projecting flanges 7 which in the offset portion 5 of the form are offset upwardly by a distance equal to the thickness of the flanges.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, a rib-free arch portion 5 at one end of the form is offset inwardly by an amount equal to the wall thickness. In this instance, the end wall 6 is in the offset end portion, since it is the end of smaller cross-section. The transverse ribs 9 in the top wall are shown projecting outwardly rather than inwardly. In the offset end portion 5, the side flanges 7 at the lower edges of the side walls 3 are omitted.

FIG. 4 illustrates how two forms such as those shown in FIG. 2 fit together. The rib-free offset portion 5 of the left form body is nested over the ribbed end portion of the right form body. The right form body can be moved toward the right, a distance almost equal the length of the rib-free portion 5, without interrupting the connection between the two forms. The overall length'of the two form bodies is thus continuously adjustable within limits which correspond to the length of the rib-free offset portion 5.

At the beginning and at the end of the form assembly, it is necessary to provide an end closure wall 6. This is possible with form bodies of the kind illustrated in FIG. 2 merely by cutting a form in the portion provided with ribs. Thus, for example the form can be cut at any place between successive ribs, as illustrated in FIG. 6. The resulting end piece 10 having a closure wall 6 is then shoved in from the right as illustrated in FIG. 5a. Through suitable cutting and assembling of the form bodies, it is possible to obtain virtually any desired form length. The extent of adjustability of an assembly of a plurality of form bodies corresponds to the total length of the offset portions. In the example shown in FIG. 5a, the limit of adjustability is twice the length of the rib-free offsetportion of a form body, while in FIG. 5f it is four times such length.

FIGS. 5a to 5 f illustrate schematically various ways in which whole and cut form bodies corresponding to FIG. 2 can be assembled. In the examples illustrated in FIGS. 5a to 50 a form body has been cut into two sections 10 and 11. The section 10 is positioned at one end of the assembly to provide an end wall 6 while the section 11 is used as an intermediate section. In the examples illustrated in FIGS. 5d to 5f, a form body is cut to remove the offset portion 5 and the resulting section 12 is used as an intermediate section. This permits using complete form bodies having end walls 6 at both ends of the assembly. The limit of adjustability of the overall length of the assemblies shown in FIGS. 5a and 5d is twice the length of the offset portion of a form body while in the examples illustrated in FIGS. 5c and 5f the adjustability is equal to four times the length of the offset portion.

Form bodies of the kind shown in FIG. 2 can be cut at the building site. By reason of the adjustability described above it is not necessary to make the cut with precision. It does not matter if the cut is not made in exactly the right location or at exactly right angles to the length of the form. The adjustability also makes it practical to cut the forms at the factory and then ship them to the building site. A suitable number of cut forms is provided to achieve any total form length desired. Various positions at which the form may be out are illustrated in FIG. 6 where the total length of the form body is considered as unity and the sections into which the form may be cut are indicated as decimal fractions.

With form sections of the indicated lengths, it is possible to combine such sections with whole form bodies to obtain practically any total form length desired.

A cross-section of the form body of FIG. 6 is shown in FIG. 7. The side walls 3 of the form are provided on their inner faces with longitudinally extending steps 14, which are spaces from, and are parallel to, the upper edge 13 of the form. In the present instance the step is pressed in the side wall so that there is a corresponding step 15 on the outer surface. The step facilitates stacking the forms one over the other for storage or shipping. In the rib-free offset portion of the form the step is offset upwardly, the same amount as the deck 2 (see FIG. 6). With this construction the stackability of the forms is not impaired by cutting the forms into sections, provided that the width of the ribs at the level of the deck 2 is smaller than the width of the portion of the deck between two ribs.

The latter flange 7 of the form illustrated in FIG. 1 has transverse grooves or serrations provided on its upper face in the ribbed portion of the form and on the underface in the offset portion 5. When two form sections are overlapped as described above and illustrated by way of example in FIGS. a to Sf, the interengagement of these serrations resists relative movement of the forms after they have been adjusted to provide a desired total length of the assembled forms. Other interengaging surface profiles can be used instead of the transverse serrations. Another profile is shown by way of example in FIGS. 8a to 80 in which small pyramid-shaped projections on the lower face of one flange portion 16 (FIG. a) interengage with similarly shaped depressions in the upper face ofa flange portion 17 (FIG. 8c) when the two flange portions are superimposed in overlapping relationship as illustrated in the fragmentary section FIG. 8b As will be seen in FIGS. 8a to 80, the flange 16 has fewer pyramids than the flange 17. It is thus sufficient for the profiles of the interengaging surfaces to be only partially complementary in order by their interengagement to resist relative lengthwise movement of the form sections after they have been adjusted to the desired total form length.

It will be understood that the several characteristics and features of the embodiments illustrated and described are interchangeable insofar as they are compatible and that the invention is in no way limited to the preferred embodiments which have been shown in the drawings and particularly described in the foregoing specification.

What I claim and desire to secure by letters patent is:

l. A form assembly for casting concrete ribbed ceilings, said assembly comprising a plurality of like forms of inverted trough shape, each of said forms having walls of substantial thickness including a top wall and inclined side walls with outwardly projecting flanges at the lower edges of said side walls, said top wall having flat end portions with upper surfaces lying in a first plane and, between said end portions, having a plurality of transversely extending longitudinally spaced flat upper portions having upper surfaces lying in said first plane,

alnn

intervening transversely extending lower portions having upper surfaces lying in a second plane lower than said first plane and inclined transitional portions connecting said end portions and said upper portions with said lower portions, and an end wall joining said side walls and one of said end portions of top wall to close a first end only of said form, the end portion of said top wall at the open opposite second end of said form having a transversely extending upwardly offset terminal portion having a lower surface in said first plane, said side walls having at said second end of said fonn terminal portions which are outwardly offset by the thickness of said side walls and terminal portions of said flanges at said second end of the form being offset upwardly a distance equal to the upward offset of said terminal portion of the top wall, said forms being assembled in longitudinal alignment with the closed end of one form received under the upwardly offset terminal portion of the top wall and between the outwardly offset terminal portions of the side walls of an adjacent aligned form, lower faces of said upwardly offset terminal portions of said flanges being provided with irregular surface means and upper faces of nonoffset portions of said flanges being provided with irregular surface means interengaging with said irregular surface means on the lower faces of terminal portions of flanges of an aligned adjacent form to retain said forms in selected longitudinally overlapping relationship to one another. I

2. A concrete form assembly according to claim 1, in which said irregular surface means comprise serrations extending transversely of said flanges.

3. A concrete form assembly according to claim 1, in which said irregular surface means comprise pyramid-shaped projections on one flange and depressions on the interengaging flange receiving said projections.

4. A concrete form assembly according to claim 3, in which the number of projections per unit area is less than the number of depressions.

5. A concrete form assembly according to claim 1, in which the inner face of each side wall is provided with a longitudinally extending step parallel to said top Wall, a terminal portion of each said step at said second end of the form being offset upwardly a distance equal to the upward offset of said terminal portion of the top wall.

6. A concrete form assembly according to claim 1, in which each of said side walls is provided with tapered inwardly projecting ribs joining at their tops said intermediate lower portions of said top wall and tapering downwardly.

7. A concrete form assembly according to claim 6, in which said ribs extend to the lower edge of said side wall. 

1. A form assembly for casting concrete ribbed ceilings, said assembly comprising a plurality of like forms of inverted trough shape, each of said forms having walls of substantial thickness including a top wall and inclined side walls with outwardly projecting flanges at the lower edges of said side walls, said top wall having flat end portions with upper surfaces lying in a first plane and, between said end portions, having a plurality of transversely extending longitudinally spaced flat upper portions having upper surfaces lying in said first plane, intervening transversely extending lower portions having upper surfaces lying in a second plane lower than said first plane and inclined transitional portions connecting said end portions and said upper portions with said lower portions, and an end wall joining said side walls and one of said end portions of the top wall to close a first end only of said form, the end portion of said top wall at the open opposite second end of said form having a transversely extending upwardly offset terminal portion having a lower surface in said first plane, said side walls having at said second end of said form terminal portions which are outwardly offset by the thickness of said side walls and terminal portions of said flanges at said second end of the form being offset upwardly a distance equal to the upward offset of said terminal portion of the top wall, said forms being assembled in longitudinal alignment with the closed end of one form received under the upwardly offset terminal portion of the top wall and between the outwardly offset terminal portions of the side walls of an adjacent aligned form, lower faces of said upwardly offset terminal portions of said flanges being provided with irregular surface means and upper faces of non-offset portions of said flanges being provided with irregular surface means interengaging with said irregular surface means on the lower faces of terminal portions of flanges of an aligned adjacent form to retain said forms in selected longitudinally overlapping relationship to one another.
 2. A concrete form assembly according to claim 1, in which said irregular surface means comprise serrations extending transversely of said flanges.
 3. A concrete form assembly according to claim 1, in which said irregular surface means comprise pyramid-shaped projections on one flange and depressions on the interengaging flange receiving said projections.
 4. A concrete form assembly according to claim 3, in which the number of projections per unit area is less than the number of depressions.
 5. A concrete form assembly according to claim 1, in which the inner face of each side wall is provided with a longitudinally extending step parallel to said top wall, a terminal portion of each said step at said second end of the form being offset upwardly a distance equal to the upward offset of said terminal portion of the top wall.
 6. A concrete form assembly according to claim 1, in which each of said side walls is provided with tapered inwardly projecting ribs joining at their tops said intermediate lower portions of said top wall and tapering downwardly.
 7. A concrete form assembly according to claim 6, in which said ribs extend to the lower edge of said side wall. 